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Abstract
With increasing public interest in wildlife watching, there is a need to develop methods to inform the management of high-quality viewing opportunities. In this study, normative methods using indicators and standards of quality were applied at a national park in Alaska and a wildlife refuge in New Hampshire. Four potential indicators of quality are identified that can be used to help define and manage wildlife viewing opportunities, and a range of potential standards of quality are developed for these indicator variables. In general, normative standards of visitors to the two study areas were salient and moderately to highly crystallized. Study findings indicate that visitors are currently experiencing high-quality wildlife viewing at both sites.
Parent Publication
Citation
Anderson, Laura; Manning, Robert; Valliere, William; Hallo, Jeffrey. 2010. Normative standards for wildlife viewing in parks and protected areas. In: Watts, Clifton E., Jr.; Fisher, Cherie LeBlanc, eds. Proceedings of the 2009 Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-P-66. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station: 89-95.
